Thursday, April 26, 2012

On Saturday, May 12, the Winona campus will host two commencement ceremonies to mark the end of the academic year.

The undergraduate commencement will begin at 11 a.m. in the gymnasium. Student perspectives will be offered by this year’s Outstanding Male and Female Seniors Michael Mockler, son of John and Caroline Mockler of Dubuque, Iowa, and Regina Quandt, daughter of Dan and Cathy Quandt of Minneapolis, Minn.

The Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs commencement will begin at 4 p.m. in the gymnasium. Along with the conferring of degrees, student perspectives will be offered by Cynthia Mueller, M.A. in Literacy Education, of Buffalo, Minn.; and Dr. Paul Rosenblum, M.A. in Pastoral Ministries, of Charleston, S.C. Additionally, Dr. Rosenblum will be presented with an Outstanding Graduate Final Paper Award.

Receptions on the plaza will follow both ceremonies. In case of inclement weather, the receptions will be held in Gostomski Fieldhouse.

Prior to the ceremonies, a Baccalaureate Mass will take place in Saint Thomas More Chapel at 8:30 a.m.

The Saint Mary’s Nairobi campus will host its commencement ceremony on April 28. The Twin Cities campus will conduct three summer commencement ceremonies on June 3.

Dr. Ned Kirk, chair of the Music Department, just returned from his third trip to Asia this year. In November he performed three concerts and gave masterclasses in southern China and Hong Kong. In March he met with administrators and faculty at both Xi’an Conservatory of Music and Northwest University in Xi’an, China, working to develop relationships between our schools. And, in April he participated in extensive rehearsals in Singapore which culminated in giving a concert that same week in Shenzhen, China with the international concert violinist, Qian Zhou.

The Saint Mary’s 2011-2012 performance season concludes with the Dance Repertory Company in “Le Corsaire,” today and Saturday, April 27-28, at Page Theatre.

For close to four decades, the Dance Repertory Company has delighted the Winona community with quality dance productions featuring local dancers in classical and contemporary works.

“Le Corsaire,” loosely based on a poem by Lord Byron, follows Medora, a beautiful slave girl, and Conrad, a dashing pirate, as they journey through a tapestry of captive maidens, rich sultans, swashbuckling abductions, and dramatic rescues, all culminating in a happy ending. Originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to music by Adolfe Adam, the ballet continues to delight audiences more than 150 years after its premiere.

Under the artistic direction of Tammy Schmidt, the DRC’s production features dancers who currently train at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts and Saint Mary’s, as well as community members. Dr. Gary Diomandes, Department of Theatre and Dance, is one of the performers.

Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 27, and 3 p.m. Saturday, April 28.

Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Tickets are available at www.pagetheatre.org or by calling the SMU Performance Center at Ext. 1715.

For more information, visit www.mnconservatoryforthearts.org, e-mail mca@smumn.edu or call Ext. 5500. The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts is an affiliate program of Saint Mary’s.

The annual Saint Mary’s “Row, Ride, Run Triathlon” will take place on Saturday, April 28, beginning at 9 a.m. at Lake Lodge in Winona and finishing on SMU’s Winona campus.

About 100 athletes from throughout the Midwest are expected to register for the race.

Participants will canoe or kayak a 2.5-mile loop around Lake Winona, then bike 14 miles from Lake Winona to the SMU campus. Once on campus, racers will run 3.1 miles through the bluffs surrounding the university.

Proceeds assist Serving Others United in Love (SOUL), a program of SMU’s Office of Campus Ministry. Through SOUL, students are able to connect with diverse communities by participating in national and international service trips.

Saint Mary's junior Jordan
Ranstrom of Warren, Minn., prepares for his performance on the Kilgen
organ in Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels.

Five organ students from Saint Mary’s will present a recital/hymn-sing
today, April 27, at 12:30 p.m. in the Chapel of Saint Mary of the
Angels, located at Vila and Wabasha streets.
Joshua Korver, Jacob Carlson, Jordan Ranstrom, Nathan Maskal and Gregory
Bim-Merle will be featured on selections spanning traditional to
contemporary periods of organ repertoire — from G.F. Handel to Marcel
Dupré. The students will also lead the audience in several familiar
hymns.
Father Andrew Beerman, rector of Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, will
give the invocation and benediction.
The event is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact A. Eric Heukeshoven at Ext. 7292 or
eheukesh@smumn.edu.

In recognition of “Spruce Up Winona Day,” about 160 students helped out throughout the community on April 21. The group assisted the Habitat ReStore, Winona Area Humane Society, Winona Public Library, Winona Health, as well as several area churches and senior residences.

The Saint Mary’s Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, under the direction of Dr. Patrick O’Shea, will present their Spring Concert on Saturday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels. The concert will also feature the Saint Mary’s Chamber Orchestra and organist Eric Heukeshoven. The performance will include works by Purcell, Bruckner, Egil Hovland, Stephen Hatfield, and Stephen Paulus.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and students and are available at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

The SMU Psychology Symposium was held The first session included research presentations made by students who collected data in the context of their collaborative labs and/or experimental psychology course. The second session consisted of formal research presentations made by graduating students in fulfillment of their senior thesis requirement. Thank go to everyone who participated and attended.

The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts will present an informal music concert, Monday, April 30, at 5:15 p.m., in the Children’s Room of the Winona Public Library, 151 West 5th St.

This concert is free and open to the public. MCA’s Winona Area Youth Singers and small instrumental ensemble groups will perform. Students will feature folk, classical and multicultural pieces.

The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts exists to provide quality arts education and performance by nurturing and encouraging artistic expression in children and adults. The MCA provides recreational to pre-professional performing opportunities, and its visual arts curriculum and programming are designed to provide physical and aesthetic benefits, heightened self-respect, discipline and confidence.

For more information about the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts upcoming classes, performances and programs, visit www.mnconservatoryforthearts.org, e-mail mca@smumn.edu or call Ext. 5500.

As a part of World Book Night April 23, Nancy Wiltgen '75, senior development director, presented 20 free copies of “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls to students at SMU’s De La Salle Language Institute. Wiltgen was just one of 25,000 volunteers who gave away half a million free books throughout 6,000 towns and cities across America on World Book Night, April 23.

Wiltgen was inspired to get involved in this program after working with an international student last year. The student told Wiltgen that she was interested in reading a good book in English that was not a textbook. “The Glass Castle” is one of Wiltgen’s favorites. For more information, go to www.worldbooknight.org.

The 26th season of the Saint Mary’s Page Series is once again filled with music, dance, theatre, and family-friendly offerings from around the world! You don’t have to travel far for world-class performances. Season subscriptions go on sale May 15. Individual tickets go on sale Aug. 21.

As part of the yearlong celebration of Saint Mary’s University Centennial, the Page Series is pleased to include artists with connections to Saint Mary’s and to Winona in this year’s programming.

Purchase tickets to three or more events to receive a 10 percent discount for new subscribers; returning 2011-12 subscribers receive 25 percent off the total order. Subscribers also have exchange privileges and guaranteed seating choice.

‘Off The Page’

“Off The Page” events feature individually priced events that take place in venues around town. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, Aug. 21. This year’s “Off the Page” performances take place at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum.

There is only one edition of “Campus Notes” left this academic year: May 4. Submissions are due Wednesday, May 2. “Campus Notes” will return in mid-June and come out every other week to update the SMU community on all the news and events that occur on campus during the summer.

Grace Place will host its annual “Savin' Grace Concert” — featuring the MPK Christian Celtic Band — from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 12, at Rushford-Peterson High School. Proceeds will be used for an emergency shelter in Winona.

Monta May, Marketing and Communication, is just one of the artists featured in this year’s Bluff Country Studio Art Tour, scheduled for 10 am. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, April 27-29. For more information, go to www.bluffcountrystudioarttour.com.